This is kind of a half fishing - half diving report. I posted it in the diving section cuz the best pics I have are of diving.
I managed to get on a friends nice 35' Viking for a fantastic 3 days of fishing .
We left Newport harbor around 7am on Tuesday and Headed strait for the 14 mile bank looking for paddies. We saw about 10 boats in the distance and headed that way. We arrived on the scene to see a nice medium sized paddy with a few dodos jumping but we really didnt want to deal with all those people so headed off to find our own.
We drove out to the 277 in search of our own paddy and saw a single boat stoped on a paddy in the distance so headed over there.
We arrived to find a nice 10'x10' paddy with only 1 boat trolling around it for nada. He signaled to us that it was ok to dive and I am always the first one in!
I get in to see 100's of 8-10# Yellowtail just hovering around the paddy and then a few schools of DORADO cruise by to check me out. My heart was pounding so fast. I had never seen dodos in the water before and never expected to be seeing them in Southern California. There were a few bulls about 20-25# and I immediatly took a shot at one but missed out of all the adrenaline pumping through my veins.
I was so mad but the fish didnt really spook and I just put the shaft back in the gun and loaded it without even bothering to tie the shooting line down.
A nice 25# Bull Swims up close and
THWACK Fish On!!!
I fought him for about 10 mins and finally got him up to the surface and to the boat. Man, I was so stoked at that point.
I jumped back in a few mins later and find another bull. I shoot him and he starts to take off. I can see that the slip tip did not penetrate all the way and know I will probably lose him. I let him have some line and then hear this "pop". Damb I must have lost him I though. I pulled back in the line to see that the WHOLE SHAFT WITH NEW SLIP TIP in gone!!! Only thing I can figure is that it popped off the swivel. It always slides up to the top of the swivel and I guess I didnt notice it. Well, lesson learned, I am now using the snap swivels instead of the big game one bill put in my gun. Thank God I remembered to bring an extra shaft.
I hopped back in and shot a 15# Cow and later a Rat 10# Yellow.
I decided to give the fish a break and fished the paddy for a while. I released a 22# Bull I hooked and landed another rat yellow.
Here is a small video I took:
http://sharkjawsales.com/images/fish...ics/dorado.wmv
Well, We had so much fish at this point that we decided we better get to catalina.
We moored at Whites Landing and I dove around there for nada.
Had a nice grill of steak and yellowtail at the Balboa Yacht club station there and a well deserved shower.
Next morning was the best calico fishing I had ever seen.
We Tried to find some places to dive around the island but I am kind of a N00B as far as Catalina and didnt know where to go.
We tried china pt., Frog rock, and italian gardend for nada except soem huge leopard shark sightings.
We moored back at whites for some
70 FEET OF VISIBILITY!!!
Wow this was the best I have ever dove in california!!!! Amazing.
I shot a few bonito and macs for target practice...SHHH
and some big calicos for dinner.
Thursday we went in search of paddies but we couldnt find any that didnt already have 10-12 boats on them and the fish wouldnt bite our live squid...weird I know.
We finally found a paddy where we were the 8th boat and fished for 1 DODO and I landed 6 Yellers.
Many other boats were hooking up with all kind sof nice dorado and yellowtail... I didnt want to dive and screw up the fishing for the other 7 boats that were there and then what do you know...some idiots in a small 15' skiff called the
ANDALE (IF ANYONE SEES THEM, THEY ARE MORONS!!!) put a guy in the water and he screws it up for everyone!!! I mean any idiot can go to Sport Chalet and pick up a riffe off the shelf and think they know how to spearfish (NO OFFENSE to Riffe, they are fantastic guns, I am just mentioning this as an axample) I just hate it how idiots like him give us spearos a bad name. He had absolutely no ettiquite at all and had no idea what he was doing.
This guy was a M-O-R-O-N!!!!!! He swam right up to the paddy and was splashing hard and just doing everything wrong.
What a
C-
U-
Next-
Tuesday...
So after the bite totally shuts off I decide to hell with it and me and my friend jump in. I dodnt see anything but this moron swims up to me and says "Hey, load your third band"...(yeah ok I dont need 3 bands to shoot 8# Yellowtail from 5' away I though)
Hes like, look for the dorado they keep comming buy. I just keep looking at him like the idiot he was. Finally I guess the dodos swim buy again but he doesnt even have a gun this time, I think He is just swimming to piss people off. He kicks like crazy swimming up to them and they take off. IDIOT!!!
By this time I have given up and start my way to the boat when a good 50# Mako Swims about 15' away from me in the middle of a school of rat yellows. He didnt show the slightest signs of agression but ...ok, Im getting out now.
SO I make my way twards the boat when what do you know...a Fucking
300# MAKO Swims towards me
OK I AM REALLY OUT OF HERE...I know there will be sceptics out there but I know sharks very well and this was a 300 Pound shark.
Kind of a neat way to end the most epic trip I have ever had.
Also, The amount of wildlife one this trip. We had 2 Blue Whales come right up nex to us...I have never been so close to them, It was amazing. Also saw a minke whale and had some big bottlenose ride the bow. Lots of BIG mola spotted and we almose hooked a good 130# Striped Marlin that we saw cruising the surface. (No Macs 4 bait)
Totals for me were: Spearfishing total: 2
Yellowtail,2 Calico Bass, 3
Dorado 15#,
25# and ...? Never weighed because he took $150 worth equipment from me
Well, $1500 worth of Gas later,
Fishing Totals were:
Released:
40-50 Legal Calico bass in 1 hour
1 5' Leopard Shark
1 Bull Dorado
6 Guitarfish up to 20#
18 Bat Rays
KILLED:
6 Yellowtail
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